The Hokage in the Darkness
by SoapMaster
Summary: Thirty years after the war, and the world faces another crisis. A new Kage Summit has been called to deal with the ever-increasing crisis of Sasuke Uchiha. Spoilers for Chapter 694. No yaoi


**Author's Note: Yeah, I know, I almost never do one-shots. And yeah, I know I'm supposed to be working on **Life Moves On: Back to Life** and **Not Just Another Murder Mystery Story**. And yeah, I know, this isn't my normal SasuNaru goodness with lemons and all that. But I was inspired by the latest chapter (694) and Sasuke's vision for the future, so I decided to just go with it and see what I came up with. Hope you enjoy the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I never have, and (gasp) never will.**

**Warnings: Usually, this is the time when I tell you that this is SasuNaru/NaruSasu and there's going to be lots of gay sex. This time, it's not true. As a matter of fact, the only warning is manga spoilers.**

The Hokage in the Darkness

Naruto placed his hat at on the table with the other five kage. It wasn't the first time he had met with the other kage - quite the opposite, in fact. Since the end of the war, the kage met with frequency every now and then. It happened when the Mist needed help rebuilding their village after a tsunami. It happened when the samurai in the Land of Iron were massacred by mercenaries. And it happened every time Sasuke Uchiha decided it was time to be a dick.

Funnily enough, he only did it when the world was on the brink of war.

Years of mounting tensions between the Cloud and Stone had nearly put them at war almost thirty years ago. But when Sasuke Uchiha single-handedly attacked the Cloud, the five kage worked together to defeat him and rebuild the village. After a militant radical was elected to be Mizukage by the Water daimyo, Sasuke assassinated him before he assumed power. The four kage met with the new, more moderate candidate, and the five worked together to stop Sasuke again. When the smaller villages of the world united in opposition to the five-nation alliance which seemed to dominate global politics, Sasuke made coordinated attacks on the smaller villages in a single day, devastating the Grass, Rain, Waterfall, and Ground villages. It was up to the five kage to meet, and help their weaker neighbors. It even caused the devastated villages to politically merge to form one smaller village, with a new Akakage.

Sasuke Uchiha was the defining face of the generation. Even Naruto, who had become a revered hero worldwide after the defeat of Obito, Madara, and Kaguya, was not as influential as Sasuke. "The most hated criminal to plague the world," he was once called. And Naruto knew that Sasuke would wear the title proudly.

"We all know why we're here," said Aiko, Mizukage in the Mist.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Kurotsuchi, Tsuchikage now, was not posing a question.

Sasuke's attack on the Sand was easily the most despicable thing that he'd done in his life. _And yet,_ Naruto wondered, _it might end up being the most necessary one._ It pained him to even think that. Good people died, people he fought with, people he considered _friends_. Temari and Kankuro both died at Sasuke's hands. It was too far, Naruto knew. _And yet, was it far enough?_ his inner cynic wondered.

He hated to think like that, but sometimes it was unstoppable. As he grew up and experienced the politics of the world, Sasuke's manifesto made more and more sense. And while he hated that it was necessary, Naruto could no longer argue that Sasuke was wrong. Nothing brought the world closer together than a common enemy.

"He needs to die," said Mo, the Akakage of the United Village of Shinobi. Akakage was elected as a former-Grass ninja who had fought the hardest against Sasuke in his attacks five years prior, and he still shared a hatred for him. Naruto couldn't blame him, considering the devastation Sasuke caused. _And yet, it was that very same attack that led to Mo sitting at the table, instead of going on a mission for an irrelevant village, overshadowed and surrounded by it's neighbors._

"We've tried," Naruto told them. "Every time he does this, we come to the same conclusion. We fight him, he escapes. He goes into hiding. We send half of our manpower on a hunt for him, and we turn up nothing. As the months pass, other things become more important, and he shows up again in a few years to cause trouble."

"That's why we need to commit to it now," X, the youngest of them, said. X was only sixteen years old, and yet was the unanimous choice for Raikage amongst the Cloud nin. "Twenty-nine years ago, the five kage came together and decided the Akatsuki presented an immediate and immense threat to the world at large. We came together, and decided to unite to face the common enemy."

"'We'?" Gaara asked. "Your parents were still in the academy when we were at war. You don't have to remind us about the war that half of us fought in, lost comrades in."

"Fighting Sasuke is a waste of time," said Kurotsuchi. "He's the strongest ninja in the world, with only Naruto as competition. Over half of the shinobi population of the world was killed fighting against Obito Uchiha alone, and he wasn't even the strongest enemy we fought. Why should we be so quick to attack?"

"Coming from the village that has never been attacked by Sasuke," Mo accused him. "You lost your comrades? So did I. As did the Kazekage. And Raikage. Not only did we lose our comrades, but our homes were destroyed. Why should we wait around for him to attack again in a year?"

"We should all move to the Leaf," Aiko said coolly. "Sasuke never attacks his home."

"The Leaf is not his home," Naruto proclaimed. "And I'm not sure I understand what you're implying?" He and Aiko had butt heads in the last two Summits, and it was only natural that they did so again. Aiko was too full of herself, and too quick to assign blame.

"I'm only implying what we're all thinking," Aiko answered. "Sasuke was born and raised in the Leaf, the village founded by his ancestor. He deserted the Leaf long enough to attack the Cloud, but still helped you against Madara and Obito when you faced an existential threat. He attacks every village but his own, and yet seems to mysteriously vanish afterwards, as if he's hiding somewhere that we aren't looking."

"We've looked everywhere," Gaara said.

"Not the Leaf village." Aiko's accusation stung, and yet, Naruto stopped himself from escalating.

"If you want to search the Leaf village, do so, any time you want," he told her. "Don't even tell me when, so I can't give Sasuke warning to escape."

"I'll take you up on that offer," Aiko said.

"Stop causing trouble, Mizukage," Kurotsuchi said. "You can't honestly believe the Leaf would shelter Sasuke after all this."

"I hate Sasuke as much as you do," Naruto told him. "He's killed people I love as well."

"You're a liar." If it was Aiko or Mo, Naruto would have been able to brush off the accusation. Even Kurotsuchi or X would have been tolerable. But the fact that it was Gaara, one of his oldest friends, who called him that, was a slap in the face. "You could have killed Sasuke any time you wanted. His power isn't as great as you make it seem, I've seen you both fight. It might be close, but if we all fought together, we could take him down. Instead, you protect him like a brother. A more paranoid mind might think that you were assigning him secret missions to weaken the other villages as a tactic to gain power. As your friend, I know you're incapable of such an evil action. But whether it's leftover love for him, or for some twisted loyalty to your genin team, you refuse to take Sasuke as a serious threat."

The entire room was quiet after the Kazekage spoke, and despite the closeness between them, Naruto never felt so distant from the redhead.

"You're my friend, Naruto," Gaara continued. "The first one I ever had, and the closest as well. And while I might have been able to make myself ignore the signs all these years, I can't let it happen anymore. Sasuke killed my brother. He killed my sister. He killed the villagers I swore to protect, and he's killed innocent civilians that I haven't. He's a monster with no moral respect for the law. Nations and villages don't matter to him, neither do good or bad. He doesn't want money, and he doesn't want power. He doesn't want sex or alcohol or any of the other vices that destroy better men. He's a rabid beast who will kill anyone and destroy anything he can for the sick thrill of it. It might have been his bad luck in life that's driven him to this level of insanity, but feeling bad for the child he once was doesn't mean you can't kill the monster that he turned into."

The silence continued, until Aiko spoke again.

"You might have been a hero in the war, Naruto, but let's not forget what terror the Leaf has brought on us," she said. "Madara Uchiha. Obito. Sasuke. Orochimaru. How many evil ninja will you let destroy the world before you take action?"

"The world has not yet been destroyed, and I intend to keep it that way," Naruto said, standing up. "I will send my ninja in search of Sasuke as we usually do. And if we find him, we will _all_ fight him this time, so that we can bring him down. And if I get the chance, I'll kill the bastard myself. But don't you _dare_ accuse me of trying to perpetuate the chaos and war in the world."

"There is no war in the world," X said. _Exactly, _Naruto thought. _You're welcome._ "Just one rogue ninja."

"It's a shame," Mo said. "Killing Sasuke might not be hard, but finding him is the challenge. It might be easier if there was an army to fight."

PAGE BREAK

The conclusion that the council came to was one Naruto had expected. Sasuke Uchiha was sentenced to death, for the fourth time, by a Kage Summit. But Naruto knew this time had to be different from the last. _Even I can't protect him anymore._

The Mizukage was the first to go, followed by the Raikage, and Akikage. It was only Kurotsuchi and Gaara who remained behind with him.

"The war was was decades ago, Naruto," Kurotsuchi told him. "To me, Sasuke will always be a hero who saved the world. But he's also a criminal with the power to destroy it. The good doesn't wash out the bad, nor the bad the good. If you killed him thirty years ago, we could look back on him and remember the good. But he's killed too many people, destroyed too many lives, for that. When they write the histories of our time, Sasuke Uchiha's legacy will be one of evil and hatred. You should feel ashamed that you've let that happen."

_"It's never been 'The one who becomes Hokage will be acknowledged by everyone,' it's 'the one who is acknowledged by everyone becomes Hokage'," _Itachi had once told Naruto. Naruto thought that to mean that he had to prove himself to his comrades before they would follow him, and it was a valid interpretation. But... _Sasuke..._ Naruto wondered. _Is this how you meant to be acknowledged?_

Naruto remembered Sasuke, repeating Itachi's words. _Self-sacrifice. A nameless man who protects peace within it's shadow. That is a true shinobi._

"I'm sorry to be so harsh," Gaara told him.

"It's okay," Naruto said. "I can't imagine losing what you've lost."

"..._but_," Gaara continued. "Sasuke has to be stopped now. You don't know that you're not next."

"We're all going to be on the hunt for him," Kurotsuchi warned Naruto. "And you should be too. I have no doubt in my mind that Aiko will take up your offer to search the village."

That was the last Naruto heard from Kurotsuchi. She and her kage guard left to begin their arduous journey back to the Land of Earth, leaving Gaara and Naruto standing alone.

"You used to be a man of principle, Naruto," Gaara said. "You would have laid down your life for the sake of peace, so that young boys and girls didn't have to die fighting. I know it's hard for you, but you need to remember what's important here. As Hokage, you don't just decide the fate of your friends, or even your village. You shape the world, and you can't let your selfish desires overshadow that."

"You don't know me at all if you don't think I still strive for true peace," Naruto told Gaara. "In the First Hokage's time, someone who made it to an age old enough to father a child was lucky, with all the deaths that children faced. The world changed, and ninja villages were established. We were closer to peace, but villages fought amongst themselves for power and influence. We recognized it when the Akatsuki used our desire for power to steal the Tailed Beasts from us, and united against them. We were even closer to peace. It's not perfect now, but if the only thing standing between us and an ideal world is a maniac who attacks a village every few years, we're still further ahead than our predecessors.

"That's not to say I condone Sasuke's actions," Naruto continued. "I think they're despicable too. Temari and Kankuro were my friends, as were many of the people he's killed. I would kill him myself if I could. I stand behind you all 100%. We're on the same side."

"Sometimes it's easy to forget that," Gaara admitted. A breeze passed through the hallway.

"Kazekage-sama," one of Gaara's kage guards said from behind him. "We must be leaving now if we want to get back to the village on schedule."

"Go on ahead," Gaara told them. "I'll be behind in a minute." The guards looked at each other questioningly, but obliged nonetheless. Gaara turned to leave as well, but he stayed back a moment. "Tell Sasuke he's gone too far."

PAGE BREAK

Naruto sat at his desk a week later, shuffling through the papers on his desk. He'd always dreamed of being the most powerful ninja in the village, he had just never realized how much _paperwork_ was involved.

"If Team Lee goes on this mission to the Land of Lakes, it frees up Team Kiba to go on the search," Naruto said, more to himself than to his aide who stood by the door. "And Kiba's really the better tracker of the two of them."

"What about the mission to Amichigo Village?" he asked. "If Team Lee goes to the Land of Lakes, who handles that mission?"

"Maybe I'll send a genin team?" Naruto looked through the roster. "It's perfect, Konohamaru's team is just getting back from their mission tonight!"

"Team Konohamaru on a B-ranked mission?" his aide gasped. "Are you sure you want to send a genin team to take care of that?"

"The ANBU and most of the joinin are searching for Sasuke," Naruto said, shaking his head. "We're undermanned as it is. I'll send them back-up to help them out."

"Back-up?" he asked. "Who?"

"Better go back to your apartment to get ready to go," Naruto said, flashing a smile.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," with a bow, he left Naruto alone. Naruto looked down at another pile of paperwork and sighed.

"Thank god, I thought he'd never leave."

Naruto looked up in shock to see Sasuke Uchiha standing in front of him, Sharingan in his right eye and Rinnegan in the left.

"Bastard," Naruto growled at him. "What's with the eyes, you think I'm going to fight you?"

Sasuke deactivated his kekkei genkai. "I wasn't too sure this time," he admitted.

"You went too far," Naruto told him, not just repeating Gaara's words. It was more for himself. "Temari and Kankuro too."

"I gave them the option to give up," Sasuke told him. "You should be proud of them that they fought to the end, despite there being no hope."

"You're an asshole," Naruto said. He made no motion to get up.

"I do what's necessary."

"'A nameless man in the shadow of peace, I know, I know," Naruto grumbled. "It doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You think I like being a murderer?" asked Sasuke. "This is how it's always been, and how it's meant to be. You're the light for them to rally behind, and I'm the darkness to unite you."

"It can't keep happening," Naruto said. "They're figuring it out. You need to die this time."

"I will," Sasuke said. "I'm getting too old for it anyway."

"What happens when you're gone?" Naruto asked. "We could have spent 30 years making the world more united, but instead we make it rely on your violence to keep peace. What happens when you're not here to unite us?"

"We've spent 30 years making the world more united," Sasuke answered. "You have a special place in the new world order, Naruto, it's time to use it. Hashirama was a visionary, creating an entirely new system for shinobi to ease the pain of war. You must do the same. After you kill me, call another Kage Summit. Propose a unification of villages. It's already been shown to work on a smaller scale. Elect the youngest of you as the new leader of this village, and the other five will act as elders to advise him. That way, the new village will have a long time before it needs to handle the instability that comes with a new regime, but will also benefit from the shared experiences of the older kage."

"You should have been in this chair," Naruto said. "You could have made the world a better place."

"I already have," Sasuke answered. "And now, so will you."

Naruto got up and hugged Sasuke tightly.

"You have to attack the village," Naruto said. "It's the only excuse I have to continue, and I've already lost some respect because of our friendship."

"I'll give you a few minutes to make some preparations for the village," Sasuke told him. He turned to leave.

"Sasuke," Naruto called out. The Uchiha stopped in his tracks. "You're a true shinobi. Itachi would be proud."

**Author's Note: Not as long as my usual fics, but here it is. The Naruto world, 30 years from now. Review and tell me what you think. ~~**


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